The current proposal continues our investigation of the role of cognitive social psychological factors in adolescent cigarette smoking. The proposal has two major aims. First, we extend the analyses of our existing longitudinal data set. These data, derived from a four year study of smoking initiation in two communities, will be used to predict transition to smoking and to generate a multivariate model of smoking initiation. The reliability and external validity of the model will be evaluated. Moreover, we will describe age, cohort and cultural-historical changes in our smoking-related variables over the course of the study. Using our sequential design, we will be able to place adolescent cigarette smoking in both a developmental and historical context. Our second major aim is to further our understanding of the role of social image factors in adolescent smoking. Our previous research suggests that adolescents may begin to smoke partly to attain certain social image benefits. Here we extend our earlier work and attempt a more comprehensive and naturalistic assessment of the social image associated with adolescent cigarette smoking. Further, we examine the role of self-concept variables in increasing an adolescent's vulnerability to social image mechanisms of smoking onset. As with our previous work, we will use the results of our investigations to draw implications for smoking prevention programs. We will identify the high risk target audiences for intervention and specify the variables that promote initiation as well as the barrier variables that deter initiation. Finally, we will be able to specify particular social skills to which adolescents aspire when they smoke cigarettes. These social skills should be important components of smoking prevention programs, which should provide adolescents with alternative ways to reach their social goals.